Isolation, Desolation, Desperation
by QTR
Summary: Everything was perfect. I was so excited. But the last thing I remembered before I passed out was Grissom's hand extended to mine. Sara's POV.
1. Chapter 1

It had been a normal day at the lab. I walked into the break room to get my assignment. Everyone had already left on different assignments, which surprised me. Then, as I walked in, my supervisor said one of the last things I expected him to.

"Sara, you're with me today. We're going to go process a 419. It's out of town, so we may not be back for a while. I'd suggest packing some things before we go."

I froze. Grissom and I- out of town- together? The words ran through my mind and I just nodded when I finally registered what was going on.

"Y-Yeah, okay," I sounded like an idiot. I walked to my car, though I had just arrived at the lab. I got into my car and headed home.

I packed quickly. I was overly excited. I packed the essentials and started loading everything into my car, when my cell phone rang.

"Grissom? Uh, hey. What? Really? Uh…okay," I was in shock. I hung up. He was coming to pick me up in half an hour. Grissom; picking me up; I couldn't believe it.

I put everything near the door, including my kit. I sat, waiting patiently for at least twenty minutes. I was ready. I was relieved when I heard a horn honk outside.

I walked over to the door and opened it, things already in my arms. Grissom was waiting in his Denali, and he came out to help me with my things. Grissom- Help me with my things; it was like a big dream. But if it was, I sure hoped I wouldn't wake up.

We drove to the scene. Grissom explained that the officers were already at the scene, waiting for them. I was tired, but I refused to sleep. I wasn't going to fall asleep, not now. But, unfortunately for me, I did fall asleep.

I woke up a few hours later. "Grissom?" I asked running a hand through my hair.

"We're almost there," he said looking over at her and smiling. "Feeling better?"

I nodded. "Yeah, as a matter of fact."

"Good, we're going to have a long shift."

And then it was back to business. I sighed as we drove for about another forty-five minutes. We approached a forest-like area and got out of the car.

"Where's the scene?" I asked, getting out my kit.

"It's up a little ways. Maybe about a mile or so," Grissom replied, getting out his kit as well.

I sighed. "Great."

We jumped over a large rock and I looked around. It was quite beautiful- the trees were big and strong and the many plants growing around the area made it quite colorful. I smiled to myself as my wandered to other places…

"Sara."

The record playing in my mind ripped. I looked up at my boss.

"This way," he said pointing ahead of him. I nodded. I was a bit embarrassed, but he pretended not to notice- that made me feel good.

We went a little further until Grissom stopped. "Huh…" he said looking around.

I stopped as well. "What?" I asked.

"I don't remember this area when I came down here last year."

I stared at him.

"I had another case in this area a while ago."

I nodded. "So…we're lost?"

"No, we're not lost."

Heh, that's just like a guy. Stubborn to the bitter end, and he says I'm stubborn. I smiled as I dug my heel firmly into the ground and put my kit down, crossing my arms. My kit had grown rather heavy in the last hour we had been wandering around.

"Just admit it, Gris- we're lost."

He refused to believe it.

"We'll make it there soon."

I believed him. I picked my kit up and walked behind him, stepping around plants and over rocks on my way.

"Grissom, we're lost."

It had been two hours now. Grissom hung his head in defeat.

"Alright, let's try and call the officers so they can come get us," he said.

I grabbed my cell phone and pushed in the numbers as Grissom recited them for me.

"No signal," I sighed.

Grissom sighed. "Well, let's wait. Someone's bound to come and find us eventually."

I nodded. We sat down on two rocks that were next to each other. I put my kit down by Grissom's and rested my head in my hands. We waited, and we waited some more. It was starting to get pretty dark.

I sighed, breaking the silence. "Grissom, no one's coming. We should head back."

He shook his head. "The case is our first priority. We'll go as soon as we're done processing—"

His voice was cut off by a crack. We both stared at each other. I raised my hands in front of me to signify that it wasn't me. He nodded.

He then noticed where the sound was coming from. His eyes were now looking directly under the rocks we were sitting on. I moved my eyes to see what he was staring at. I saw what it was.

The ground that the rock I was sitting on now had a large crack in it. My body and mind were a bit slow, and so I completely forgot that below us was a steep creek with high currents running through it at high speeds.

I noticed the ground around Grissom's rock was now just as unstable as mine. I pointed to it, but before I could tell him verbally, we both fell down and tumbled into the water. Well, I tumbled into the water.

Grissom was smart enough to grab the edge before he fell. The last thing I remembered was Grissom extending his hand to mine before the strong currents swept me away. I felt a throbbing pain in my head before I passed out.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

I shot my eyes open. I looked around for Grissom- I didn't see him anywhere. My head was pounding, and my leg was causing me excruciating pain. I could tell it was broken. I threw my arms around to find I was still in the water. Now I remembered everything.

I felt my hand grip a rock and so I held onto it for dear life. I saw that land was not far from me now and so I made a move to the closest piece of land by me. I reached it, and I sighed in relief. I crawled onto it, ignoring the pain in my leg.

I tried standing up, which was a mistake, seeing how my leg was broken. I just lay there on the ground, feeling completely helpless. I sighed as I looked up at the night sky- the stars were illuminating it and the moon was giving me a fair amount of light. But now, I was freezing.

It had taken me a moment to realize how cold I was- I hadn't brought my jacket with me, and even if I had it would've been soaked by now. I wrapped my arms around my body, attempting to warm myself up. It was to no avail. I almost screamed when I saw a figure standing over me.

"Sara?"

I sighed when I noticed it was Grissom.

"Grissom…hey."

He kneeled down beside me and touched the skin on my head where a large bruise was forming.

"You've got a pretty nasty bump on your head," he told me.

"It's fine."

He could sense my stubbornness, and I noticed he looked a little relieved. But when I tried to stand up, his expression changed.

I staggered to my feet, but as I started to walk I collapsed into his arms.

"I think your leg's broken, Sara," he said looking into my eyes.

"It's fine," I lied. I didn't want him to worry about me. Besides, I had no idea if he was okay.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was more worried about you, anyways. I grabbed the edge of the ledge before you fell. I was able to climb up it, but then I had to go looking for you."

I felt a little embarrassed. I felt so stupid that I didn't grab the ledge just as he did. The next thing he did made me almost shout in protest.

"Hey! W-What are you doing?" I asked. He was carrying me.

"You can't walk. I'm just carrying you until we find a place where we can rest."

I was about to argue, but I knew it would be pointless, since I really couldn't walk on my own. And besides, Grissom was carrying me. Could I really argue?

We kept going until he finally set me down at the foot of a large tree.

"We'll just rest here for now," he told me. I nodded. I almost yelped at what he did next.

"Grissom?" My leg was in his lap and he was lifting my pant leg up to inspect it. He grimaced at the sight of the bruised skin, which was changing from blue to purple to black.

"I'm okay, Grissom," I told him, but he started massaging the skin on my leg. I stared at him with a shocked expression on my face. I chose not to argue- again, this was Grissom and I alone. What more could I ask for?

A couple of hours passed, and we had both fallen asleep. I woke up when I heard footsteps.

Grissom sat back down in front of me with something in his hands. I moved a little closer to see what it was, but I quickly noticed the smell- fish.

"I got some food," he said putting the fish down on the ground. I felt like an Indian, having to hunt for all our game and survive in the wildlife.

"Grissom, I don't eat meat," I quickly said. He nodded.

"I'm sorry, Sara, but I couldn't find anything else."

"Then I'm not eating," I stated. He frowned at my stubbornness, yet again.

"Sara, I'm not going to go back to the lab one CSI short," he started. "So please eat."

He handed me the fish. I noticed it was cooked- he had been busy. I just sighed, pushing his hand away.

"Grissom, it pains me to see this. I'm not hungry anyways." It was a lie- I was starving! I tried not to show it. He stood up.

"Sara, don't make me have to feed it to you."

I raised a brow. This moment was…awkward. I laughed.

"Oh, really? Just how do you think you'll do that—"

Before I could finish, I felt a large chunk of the fish shoved into my mouth. All I could do was swallow it.

"The hell are you doing, Grissom?" I asked with an angry expression on my face.

"I wasn't joking," he said simply.

"You could've killed me!" I shouted. He shoved another chunk of it into my mouth. Again, I had to swallow it.

"STOP IT!" I yelled. He shoved another chunk of it into my mouth until finally, the fish was eaten.

"Damn it, Grissom! I told you I wasn't hungry!" I said now at the creek, trying desperately to get the taste of fish out of my mouth.

"And I told you I wasn't going back to the lab one CSI short," he told me. I glared up at him after wiping some water from my mouth. All I could do now was roll my eyes, seeing how he was going to have to carry me back to our little 'campsite'.

We sighed looking up at the night sky. A cold wind was picking up around us and I turned to Grissom.

"How long do you think we'll be out here?" I asked him.

He turned to me. "No idea."

I sighed. That was reassuring.

"Well…" I said lying down on the ground. "We may as well make ourselves comfortable."

He nodded, lying down beside me.

"But next time, I'll feed myself, thank you very much," I added grinning at him. He chuckled, as did I.

"Well…goodnight, Grissom," I told him rolling over on my side. He nodded as he just stared up at the sky. I smiled to myself. Maybe this wasn't going to be as bad as I thought after all.

"What do you think the guys are doing back home?" I asked Grissom, still on my side.

"Probably working the cases," he said. "Like I said, it was a tough shift tonight."

I sighed. The thought of Catherine going home to her daughter, Warrick to his wife, and Nick to his nice warm bed made her feel sad.

"Well, we've had a hell of a day, haven't we?" I asked him.

He laughed. "Yes, we have."

I smiled again. He was laughing. That was enough to make me smile. I turned to see his face and he had closed his eyes. He looked peaceful as he attempted to fall asleep. I smiled again as I turned back over on my side and rested my head in my arms. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up to the smell of burning fish. I quickly sat up and rubbed my head as I looked around for the source of the horrific smell. I saw a cloud of smoke coming out from behind a bush and suddenly a figure came out of the puff coughing.

"Grissom, what are you doing?" I asked the man, who at the moment, seemed to be coughing up a lung.

"I'm making us breakfast, Ms. Sidle," he said in between coughs.

I laughed. "You're going to kill yourself if you're not careful."

He waved some smoke away with his hands. "Not funny."

I laughed again. "So, why are you fixing fish for breakfast?"

"There's nothing else here."

"I'm not eating."

He rolled his eyes at me. I grinned. He raised a brow.

"Am I going to have to feed you again?"

"Don't even think about it." This made him grin a little.

"I'll eat later; I'm not hungry now." He actually believed me. He set the burnt fish down in front of me and when he wasn't looking I threw it into a bush.

"I wonder how the crime scene is," I said sighing.

He turned to me. "I'm sure it's fine. You shouldn't be worrying about the crime scene right now, anyways," he said sitting down across from me.

"Hey, the scene is our first priority," I said, quoting one of his past sentences.

"To you it is," he added.

"No, you told me, don't you remember?"

He shook his head.

I sighed. "Forget about it."

I looked up at the sky .It had to be about 6:30 now. I recognized the red and purple in the sky as the sun rose. Shift was going to start in half an hour. I could smell the Blue Hawaiian coffee steaming in the break room and hearing Greg's cries of, "Hey! That cost $40 a pound! It's not cheap!" and then Nick and Warrick laughing as they held the container with his precious coffee high above their heads where he couldn't reach it.

I could visualize Catherine coming inside and asking what was going on. I could then see her laughing after she noticed what they were doing and joined in the fun. I smiled. I had never gotten along very well with Cath, but I enjoyed the sight of her and the rest of the team having a good time.

"Sara?"

His voice broke the silence. I turned to the man sitting across from me.

"Grissom?" I said looking at him.

"What's on your mind?" he asked me.

"Uh…nothing really. I was just thinking about the guys."

He nodded.

"How've you been?"

I was caught off-guard at the question.

"Excuse me?" I asked raising a brow. He shrugged.

"We haven't talked in a while, and now we have time. We're not going anywhere for a while."

I was a bit shocked, but I shrugged and answered his question.

"I've been fine; you know, same old me."

He smiled. He was challenging me with his eyes.

"What?" I asked grinning.

"You're lying," he said simply.

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are. You haven't slept in a while; I can tell because you slept so long last night."

I shrugged. "It's nothing."

He nodded.

"Okay…triple shifts? I had to practically push you out of my office the other day when you wanted that 419 in the foothills, remember?"

He was worried about me. At least I knew he cared.

"Grissom, I'm fine. You know that."

"But triple shifts?"

"I always pull multiple shifts."

"Not triples."

"I had nothing else to do."

"Are you telling me the truth?"

"What?" I asked, a bit outraged at the question.

"Sara Sidle- can you look at me with a straight face and truly say nothing was wrong?" he asked, a hint of concern in his serious voice.

"Yes! Nothing's wrong! I'm fine Grissom- my life is complicated enough without you butting in and asking me questions about everything!" I practically screamed at him. I now wish I hadn't.

He stared at me. He still looked concerned. He sighed as he stood up and looked down at me.

"I'm going for a walk," he said and disappeared behind a tree. I wish he hadn't gone. He left me alone. He wasn't coming back.

TBC…

Hey everyone, this is QTR. I just want to thank everyone for their wonderful reviews. Again, you guys are awesome. Keep on writing!


	4. Chapter 4

I was worried. I had been worried since I saw him turn his back on me and disappear behind that tree. It wasn't rare for someone to be worrying about Grissom. He never did anything to make people worry that often.

"Grissom!" I called his name. I got to my feet; at the moment forgetting my leg was broken. I took a step and then collapsed. I looked around, as if to try to spot anyone to see if they saw me. I felt embarrassed and no one was there. I could tell my self-conscious was laughing at me.

I winced as I tried to move my leg. I wasn't going anywhere. The officers weren't going to find me. And now, to make things even worse, Grissom had taken off.

"Gil!" I called him by his first name. No response. I sighed as I lay down on the ground, looking up at the now grayish sky. Wait- the sky was gray. Was there going to be a storm?

My stomach dropped as I felt a lump form in my throat. I suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion fall over me. I don't know exactly what brought it on, but I let the sleepiness drift me off to a soft slumber.

Drip, drop, drip, and drop- then it came down in a steady flow. I didn't notice what was happening at first until I rubbed my head with my hand and noticed I was sopping wet. My hair was sticking to my face and I could feel the little droplets of water sliding down my face. I sat up and looked around.

There were no clouds in the sky and now it was pouring down rain. Grissom was nowhere to be seen. I was startled at the sound of thunder crashing. It sounded near and I yelped when it struck again. I took a deep breath.

It was just thunder. I'll live. But I had second thoughts a few moments later when I saw a flash of lightning. I was scared out of my mind.

I felt like a little kid hiding under the kitchen table, clinging to the leg of the table for dear life. That would never happen. If it were true, I would've had a mother to come and comfort me and just tell me it was thunder and lightning and that it would be okay. Crap-me, Sara Sidle, or anyone in the Sidle family, had no idea what the hell nurturing or love was.

I decided to move. My mind and gut told me to move. I couldn't. My leg was broken and I couldn't stand. I found myself doing the first thing that came to mind.

"Grissom!"

I called his name, but I got no answer. As a matter of fact, I could barely here my own voice. The wind was violently strong now, and all I heard was thunder and lightning in the distance. I put my head down in defeat.

I was running through the rain. I could feel the mud that I was stomping through from the pathetic soles on my shoes. My hair was sticking to my body and I was a mess, but I didn't care. I kept running, hearing in the distance the voice of my father calling my name. I kept running. I couldn't turn back.

I came back to reality. What the hell just happened? Am I going to die here? Was this my life flashing before my eyes?

"Sara!" my father yelled calling me. I was in tears, but if anyone saw me they wouldn't be able to tell because of the heavy rain.

I remembered this. I shuddered at the thought. I felt a chill run down my spine as I thought back to it.

I felt adrenaline pumping through my body. I just had to keep running. I wasn't going back. I wasn't going back to my house- not after what I had just seen.

They were yelling and screaming at each other. I was right in the middle of it, although I was smart enough to back away and keep my mouth shut. I screamed when I saw my father strike my mother across the face. I ran out of the house and then there was nothing.

I found myself running aimlessly through the streets and the park. I ran wherever I could- as long as I could get away from the truth, from reality. I tripped and screamed again when I found my father running up to me.

"Stay away from me!" I yelled, kicking and screaming as my father kneeled down by me.

"Sara, stop it," he said grabbing my shoulders, trying to calm me down.

"Leave me alone!" I screamed again, trying to free myself of his grasp. He hugged me. I was calmed at the warmth I felt. I wrapped my arms around him crying.

"Why'd you do that, dad?" I asked in between sobs.

He sighed. "Sara…I'm sorry, mom and I just got into a small fight. It's okay, don't worry about it."

I looked up at him. "Are you going to apologize to mommy?"

He grinned and nodded. "Yeah. I will."

He squeezed me tighter, whispering in my ear, "It's okay, Sara. It'll all be okay. Things will get better. I promise."

I laughed. I actually laughed. I was laughing at myself. I was so stupid- how could I have believed him? How gullible was I? It was a lie. I felt the warm tears streaming down my face as I laughed at my pathetic self.

"Look at yourself, Sidle!" I said this aloud. "What happened to you? You believed him! You actually believed him, you idiot! Then what happened? Your mom killed him! He was the closest thing you had to a friend! You hated him for what he did to your mom but he was still the best thing that ever happened to you!"

I dug my nails into the mud on the ground. I stared at it. I felt no better than the mud under my nails. Grissom was nowhere to be seen. I couldn't walk. I had nowhere to go. But I remembered something my father told me.

"Sara, I want to ask you something," my father said looking in my eyes.

"What is it, daddy?" I asked looking at him.

"I…want you to promise me, that even when I'm gone, that you'll be strong for me. Can you do that?" he asked with seriousness in his tone.

"Yes, daddy. I'll do it for you." We hugged tightly and I could feel his tears running down my back as they dripped onto my shirt.

"Thank you, Sara. I love you, sweetheart."

I blinked. Dad wanted me to be strong. I wasn't going to let this stop me- Grissom or no Grissom; I was getting out of here.

I braced myself with my hands and got to my feet. I put all my weight on my good leg and took a step- so far so good. I took another step, keeping my broken leg suspended in the air. I was getting along okay.

I actually caught myself almost dancing as I went along. I was dancing on one leg- I'm sure I looked stupid. I didn't care. No one was there to see me anyways and I wouldn't have minded if they saw me anyway. For me, this was therapy.

I had a tune playing in my head. It was a song dad and I used to sing when mom wasn't home. He'd sing it to me while I sat in his lap and then he'd have me sing the rest of it.

"The butterfly didn't get its beautiful wings without effort."

I could hear his voice in my head as I limped along.

"Egypt's empire did not grow over night."

I could hear myself laughing in the background between his singing and the rain at the present time.

"And the statue of liberty wasn't built in one evening, but boy, oh boy if it was…"

And I smiled as I remembered the rest of the song.

"I'd be climbing over mountains and flying through the sky- the sky's the limit no more."

"I'd be known all around to world from Tamales Bay to Pompeii."

I had to laugh at his rhyme.

"And I'd live the life of a king, never troubled with limitations."

"And I'd sail across the world until I crossed the nations," I took over.

"And God gave us a life to live; so why am I not living? It takes more than a minute to say…that everyday gives us a limit, which we must surpass and when we cannot…"

My dad butted in.

"We'll all pass gas."

I could hear myself laughing harder than I ever had in my life. I smiled and actually started laughing as I was limping along. I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. I even laughed when I tripped and fell into a large pile of mud on the ground. Nothing could bring me down right now; I was lost in my own blissful world. This world was perfect; everything else could wait.


	5. Chapter 5

Grissom…that jerk. Just wait until I see him again…he's asking for it. Where the hell could he be? He's been gone for three hours! What happened- was he taking a leak and got lost? Come on!

He used to make me smile. Whenever I saw him a little light inside me would glow brighter than ever before. Grissom…I had always liked Grissom. Just like when I told him he had always been a little more than a boss to me. After the explosion, he checked on me. After the Debbie Marlin case, he was traumatized. I could tell.

I mean, I was too of course, but I was surprised at how much it affected him. He avoided me for so long afterwards. At first I thought he was just ignoring me, but then I noticed he was still dealing with what he had seen. That woman- sitting in the fetal position, neck drenched in blood. And she looked just like one of his coworkers.

But now, I could feel anger rising inside of me. He left me- why would he do that? He left me alone in a raging storm with a broken leg and a big-ass bruise on my head. I'm not one to complain, but right now I really needed his help. I really did.

My little blissful world has disappeared. I can no longer see the sunshine through the rain or the rainbow behind the clouds. I just lied there in the mud, trying my best to ignore the growing pain in my leg and the throbbing headache I was getting.

What would happen if Grissom never came back? What if I died right here? Everyone would probably remember me as 'the person who died in a pile of mud'. No, I'd be the obsessive workaholic with no life that died in a pile of mud. Yeah, that's more like it.

The land around me was now murky and damp. I sat up rubbing my head- damn, how it hurt. I braced myself again with my hands and prepared to get up.

I wasn't going to die here! I wasn't—

You know that feeling you get when all your hopes are crushed and thrown in the dirt? When that one person you despise most just spits on your pride and laughs at you? And you can't do anything about it? That's how I felt at this moment. I took a step, guessing where I put my feet. Bad decision.

I felt around for a tree or anything I could grab to support myself. It was dark and I couldn't see a thing between the winding wind and the quickening rain that was becoming heavier each second. I lifted my foot and stomped into the dirt, and that was when it happened.

I slipped. Yeah, that's how it went. I was closer to getting out of this hellhole and I slip. That's great, isn't it?

Well, I tumbled down a hill, feeling the skin on my legs and arms getting cut and bruised as I fell down. I landed right on a rock. I cried out in pain as the edge of the rock made contact with my right side. What's worse is I think I heard a crack…great.

"GRISSOM!" I called out in between breaths.

I got no answer except for the cold wind that followed after I called his name. I felt a warm liquid trickle down my forehead further down my face. I could tell right away that it was blood. I was lost, injured, and I couldn't move on my own. I felt so helpless.

What is this? I'm moving? Where am I? Who's carrying me?

I heard a muffled voice as I regained consciousness.

Is it Grissom? I swear if it is, I'm going to give him a mouthful when he puts me down…

Again I heard the muffling.

This wasn't Grissom. I could tell. I opened my eyes.

"You're awake now?"

This definitely wasn't Grissom. This was a man, however. He had green eyes and jet-black hair. He also had a large scratch under his right eye.

"Who are you?" I asked a bit dazed.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing."

I could tell from the tone in his voice he meant business. He almost sounded intimidating. Almost.

"You talk first- you're the one who's carrying me."

The man sighed and stopped. He looked down at me and wiped a drop of blood from my face with a handkerchief.

"My name is Roy Stevens, I live around this area. I had been going for a hike when the storm struck. I heard a voice in the distance—decided to investigate."

I nodded, signaling to him to continue on.

"And that's when I saw a little brunette lying in a pile of mud and rocks, unconscious in the storm."

I smiled. "Well, I suppose I should be thanking you."

He shook his head. "Later. You're in pretty bad shape."

I didn't realize how much pain I was in until he brought it to my attention. Every time I took a breath my side was burning- I think I had broken one of my ribs. And, my leg was still hurting as much as it could.

I looked around. The storm had calmed. The rain had stopped, but the wind was still blowing. I wasn't cold- the man had wrapped his jacket around me and it kept me warm, not to mention it was drying my damp clothes.

He kicked the door open to a small house out of the way. He walked inside and set me down on a big green couch. He tossed me a blanket.

"Go ahead- warm yourself up."

His tone had changed. Before, his tone had been sweet and welcoming. Now it was a cold hard mumble.

My head was still bleeding and he threw me some rubbing alcohol and a box of bandages.

"Clean yourself up."

I stared at him as he turned his back on me and headed into his garage. I went ahead and cleaned the cuts on my arms and legs and cleaned my forehead. Something didn't feel right- I didn't know if it was the eerie feeling I got when I first saw him or the sudden change in tone of his voice.

Well, my curiosity got the better of me. I waited to make sure he wasn't coming back anytime soon and I stood up, using the items and furniture around me for support so I could walk. I winced; my side was killing me, though I knew if I wrapped my stomach to keep the rib from moving out of place any more, I would risk getting pneumonia.

I limped around the house, looking around for anything suspicious. I moved some picture frames and lamps around, as I looked for anything- anything to let me know this guy was bad news. I almost screamed when I saw a red liquid dripping off of a bath towel on the back counter in his utility room. It was blood. I could tell.

But what did it come from? I moved a few more things around and I saw what I was looking for.

A jagged knife was sitting on the top shelf of his laundry room. It still had a few blood smears on it. I could smell copper in the air as the blood dripped onto the floor from the towel. This guy was dangerous.

Wait a minute- the 419 Grissom and I had been called out to was a stab-wound victim. Could this possibly be our guy? But…if he had killed someone, why did he not kill me? Does he not know that I am associated with the LVPD? Does he not know I am a CSI?

I heard some footsteps growing closer. I went as fast as I could back to the couch. I plopped down as fast as I could.

He sat down in front of me. "…So…who the hell are you, bitch?"

I stared at him. Yep, he was definitely not good news.

"I, uh…" I didn't know what to say. If I told him my real name he might notice who I was from the news or somewhere. Damn those reporters. I swear, sometimes I wish I could just…

"Spit it out," he said with a firm tone.

"Oh, yeah, um…my name is Susan Bryce. I work at an insurance company in Vegas…I needed a little me-time."

He actually bought it. He just nodded. "Well, Susan…" he stood up and noticed a moved picture frame. He turned to look at me. "Did you move anything?"

I felt another lump in my throat forming. "No, I was just admiring your photo. Do you have a family?"

The picture showed two kids- one about eight months old and the other appeared to be about seven-years-old. He was also in the picture- younger, and there was a blonde woman standing next to him holding the baby.

"Oh, uh…no, not anymore."

I actually felt a little bad for the guy.

"They pissed me off, so I killed 'em."

I was in shock. He grinned.

"I'm kidding! What kind of heartless bastard do you take me for?" he got a good chuckle.

I was still freaked out. I found a bloody knife in his house! How could I trust him?

"Heh, you know, my wife, her throat was slit…" he said sitting next to me. I almost cried out.

"A nice, deep thin cut…" he said tracing across my throat. "Nice…and deep…"

My eyes widened. He smirked.

"Don't be scared of me. I won't hurt you…" he said as he continued to trace a line across my throat.

For some reason, I doubted his word. Call me crazy, but I didn't feel like I was safe anymore. Where the hell was Grissom!


	6. Chapter 6

I slept. I was scared to death but he didn't know who I was, so I fell asleep. The skin across my neck was almost burning- I could still feel his fingers tracing across my throat. It made me shiver as I lay on the green couch the man had set me on, at his mercy. I finally opened my eyes and observed my surroundings once again.

Picture frames, furniture, papers here and there- nothing that I hadn't seen already. The sun was now up. I wondered where Grissom was. Well, if he found my body in this house, he'd find out where I had been at least.

Well, I still stuck with what my gut told me the first time I saw this guy- he's bad news. I really think he did kill his family when he mentioned it as a joke. And I think this guy was also the guy we were looking for in our 419- you know, the scene we never reached.

I could hear Catherine, Warrick, Nick, and even Greg making cracks about what was taking us so long to return to the lab. It almost made me sick- they had no idea what was going on. I had no idea where Grissom was and I was in bad enough shape as it was.

"So…you lied to me."

His voice startled me. I turned to face him. It was psycho-man.

"What are you talking about?" I said, trying my best to sit up and face him.

"I found your ID."

My blood just ran cold. He found my ID? How could he have-? Damn. ID, pocket; like shoe to foot.

"Oh…" was all I managed to squeeze out of my mouth.

"Sara Sidle, huh? Las Vegas Crime Lab…I've heard of you."

He made me feel uneasy as he walked over to me.

"I said I wouldn't hurt you…maybe I should break your other leg so you can't go anywhere…as long as I have one of you guys they won't be able to come near me without risking your life," he said this with a smirk. I gulped.

"Why did you kill your family?" I squeaked.

He sighed, sitting down next to me.

"I suppose I could tell you…I mean, you're going to die anyways…if not by me by the hand of one of your friends when I throw you in the way of that speeding bullet coming toward me…"

He was a total freak.

"Well, Cheryl, she was my wife- we got married when she was 19- I was 22. Well, you see, I got her pregnant when she was 13! We already had a son!"

He found this funny. I didn't- I wrote the facts down in my head- if his first son was seven when he killed them all, she was 20 and he was 23.

"Her parents hated me. She said she didn't care- hell, she ran away with me. We got a house and had a second kid 'bout a year later."

I was shaking as I nodded, not wanting to hear him continue but at the same time dying to know the facts to get this guy for the murder of his family and the innocent stab-wound victim they were called out to, soon to be laying on the metal slab in the morgue.

"As time went on, our relationship died. We had our little issues, just like all other couples. We argued. A lot. The baby was always crying; I was always drunk after I got fired from my job. Kid was so damn annoying…"

I raised an eyebrow in interest. Something seemed vaguely familiar about this story…something I knew all-too well.

"She got mad at me one night- I came home late and she said she needed help with the kids. She always needed help with something…kids, dishes, cleaning…she was always bitching about something. She just did it to piss me off."

"Did you think maybe she just needed your help?" I blurted out. He smiled at me.

"That thought crossed my mind sometimes, but she was desperate to get me out of her life, I just took a guess."

I stared at his eyes- they were so green…they were going to haunt me forever.

"So, that night, I had a few drinks, though I was still perfectly sober…" this made him grin a bit. "She ran up to me, furious. Asked where I had been. I didn't answer her question and walked past her."

"Then, she threw a vase at me. I turned around. Now she was really asking for it."

His knuckles had turned white as he balled each of his hands into a fist as he continued.

"So I grabbed a broken piece of glass from the vase she had thrown at me and ripped it across her throat. Of course, not after I got a few blows to her face," he smiled to himself.

Now my knuckles were turning white as I clenched my hands into fists.

"Well, baby wouldn't stop crying and my oldest kid was going cry wolf to the police, so I took care of them."

"You killed your own wife and children?" I shouted getting to my good leg. He stood up and stared at me.

"They never appreciated anything I did when I was in work!" he yelled.

"That's what you think! How could you have known? You were always drunk!"

He wrapped his hands around my neck- his hands were so big they could eat mine up three times and still have some left over. He squeezed my neck. I couldn't breathe.

"You know what, bitch? You don't know anything! So shut up!" he said pushing me into a wall. He loosened his grip on my neck so I could at least breathe some.

"Isn't this interesting? Your life in my hands…literally," he said smiling as he then squeezed my neck again. I gasped for air- all attempts were in vain.

He released me again and this time I slid to the floor gasping for breath. A breath I couldn't seem to regain after what had happened.

"I'd love to make a nice cut across that beautiful neck of yours…" he said kneeling down in front of me.

"Your neck is so elegant…like a swan's neck," he said and again traced a line across my neck.

He smiled and then stood up and motioned towards his garage.

"No one ever knew what had happened to my family. They couldn't find any bodies. Only you and I know what really happened to them. I hid their bodies in some freezers out there," he said looking out towards his garage.

"Unfortunately, I wasn't able to recover that body from my most recent kill; I ran to hide the weapon first. When I returned I found out that some damn hiker had found the body and called the police. I was too late."

I smiled a little at the flaw in his plan. He didn't appreciate my enjoyment of his misfortune.

"You better stay quiet or you'll be in that freezer sooner than I'm planning to book you for." And with that, the psychotic murderous freak left me alone as he returned to his garage.

I hope Grissom was having a better time than I was.


	7. Chapter 7

Freezer…my body lying in a freezer- that thought scared me to death. I was shaking and my entire body went cold after just thinking about it. Grissom would find me in one of those freezers- probably getting freezer burn. I'd be just staring at him; so lifeless, so cold.

My body on the slab in the morgue- Doc Robbins would have a field day with my body. I could hear him talking to Grissom during my autopsy…

"Well, she bled out. A single-edged knife slashed her carotid artery. From what you told me, I hear she had a broken leg, so she couldn't go anywhere."

And then, he made the 'Y' incision.

"Wow! Boy, did her organs keep! Look at how good a shape her organs are in, Grissom! That freezer really preserved her! The insides, at least!"

"Wow. Well, she won't be needing them anymore," Grissom said inspecting my body.

"Nope! Come on, be a pal- help me will you?" Doc Robbins said grunting as he pulled out various organs.

"Huh…" Grissom stopped and gazed at one of them with interest.

"What is it, Grissom? Something I could put on ebay?" Robbins chuckled.

"No…I didn't know her heart was that big…" Grissom said pulling out the heart and staring at it, mesmerized.

The door to the coroner's popped open. Catherine stepped in, fashioning white scrubs and slipping a pair of latex gloves on.

"So, what's the verdict, Doc?" she asked, perfectly calm, standing over my body.

"Well, she bled out- her carotid artery was slashed."

"Catherine, look at her heart," Grissom said turning to Catherine.

She looked at it.

"Huh…hard to believe it's that big, huh? I mean, considering she was a huge bitch."

That tore me up inside.

Then, Nick and Warrick trudged into the room.

"Wow! That's a nasty wound!" Nick shouted in his white scrubs staring at my body.

"Hey- it stopped all her bitching for once!" Warrick laughed and then they all joined in laughing.

"Hey guys- care to give me a hand removing her organs?" Doc Robbins asked.

"No problem!" they all said in unison.

I screamed. I had fallen asleep and I woke up screaming. I didn't stop screaming either- I wasn't going to stop screaming until someone made me.

"GOD!"

A hand covered my mouth and I stopped screaming. I noticed it was psycho-man. Damn, I was still here, it wasn't a bad dream…

"Damn! Will you shut up?" he said removing his hand and rubbing his head. "I've got a headache, dammit!"

Here he was- he had killed his family and one innocent person and now he was holding me hostage. And he's complaining about a small headache?

"Jesus, woman. You could wake a whole city!"

I looked at him- he looked terrible. His eyes were blood-shot, his hair was a mess, and he hadn't shaved in what appeared to be roughly a few weeks. But what did I care? He was a senseless murderer and a kidnapper!

I was silent. What could I say? I was at his mercy and I didn't see Grissom coming anytime soon! Damn it Grissom! Where are you? WHERE ARE YOU?

The man walked into the kitchen and swallowed a few pills and drank a glass of water. He grabbed his coat and turned around to face me.

"I'm going for a walk…don't try going anywhere!"

And with that he slammed the door behind him as he walked off into the wilderness. Like I'm going to listen to that maniac, right? This was my chance to escape- my one chance to find Grissom and get the hell out of here.

Brace yourself with your right hand. Good, now with your left…great. All right, slowly make your way to your feet…

I got my weight on my good leg and looked around for anything I could use possibly as a crutch. I hopped over to his closet door- God how it hurt to move.

I threw the door open, my eyes scanning the closet for anything I could use for my escape. I sighed. I didn't see anything yet…but I had to keep looking. I moved a few things, at the risk of tumbling over onto my back, but I continued searching…bingo.

I found a yardstick hey it wasn't the best thing in the world, but it was the closest thing to a walking stick or a crutch that I would find. I easily towered above the yardstick. I mean, come on, I was 5'8" and this puny little stick was only 3'0". I shrugged it off and put all my weight on the yardstick as I moved. So far, so good- it was the best thing I had, so it was going to have to work.

I thought ahead- before I made my way out of the house, I grabbed a jacket just incase. I pulled the door open, leaning on the little yardstick. Luckily for me, the yardstick was pretty thick, so it wasn't going to break under little pressure. I stepped out of the house and looked around.

It was still cloudy, though it wasn't raining and the wind wasn't as bad as it was the previous day. I took in a long breath of fresh air- it was so refreshing. I had been cooped up in that house for almost two days. I took another step, this time descending off of the steps of the doorway of the small house and onto the cold ground.

I looked around- good, psycho-man was nowhere in sight. I moved along, keeping a pretty steady pace. I had to stop every now and then because I went too fast, and as I tried to catch my breath, my side just burned along with my chest. Water was looking really good right now…damn, why hadn't I gotten a drink before I left?

I decided not to dwell on it and continued along. Soon, the house was out-of-sight- that made me feel good. I was that much further away from psycho-man.

Now, all I had to worry about was finding Grissom…or that psycho-man could possibly be using the same route I am traveling on to return to his house. No, I needed to focus on Grissom…or the fact that psycho-man could possibly be using the same route I am traveling on…

Forget it. Finding Grissom is my first priority right now. The scene can wait; I don't care what anyone thinks.

As a few more hours passed, I sighed in relief at the fact psycho-man hadn't found me yet. Now, where was Grissom?

I had pondered that question in my mind for a while now. Wouldn't he have come looking for me? Psycho-man must've left some footprints or fibers or anything leading to his house…and Grissom must've followed the path I had taken to end up at psycho-man's house in the first place.

Maybe he didn't care about me. Maybe my nightmare was the truth just slapping me hard in the face and telling me to get a hold of reality.

Catherine…did she really think I was a huge bitch? I know we had our differences and arguments in the past, but was that what she really thought now?

Warrick was always hard to read. I had come to Vegas to help Grissom with the Holly Gribbs case, but it turned out that Warrick had been making a bet when she was killed. I did an investigation for Grissom and found Warrick at the Monaco casino on CSI time. We didn't really get off to a good start, per say.

Nicky…he was that sweet funny guy I could turn to if something happened. He was always there for me…but when I had first come to Vegas, he didn't seem interested in me at all. He didn't seem to want me in his presence or even in the same room, as a matter of fact. Did he still feel like that?

And then there was Grissom. Gruesome Grissom. He probably cared more about his tarantula Mustafa or whatever he named that thing more than me. He turned me down more than once- verbally and non-verbally. I could tell by the look in his eyes some day, he just didn't want me near him.

Was he scared? Was he truly scared to take a chance with me, with a relationship?

Never mind, what am I thinking? He doesn't care about you- if he did, then why would it have taken this long for him to come out of the closet? He had a 'thing' with that dominatrix Lady Heather…and then a relationship with Teri Miller, the forensic anthropologist. Then there was Sofia Curtis, of whom I was never two keen of in the first place. I couldn't tell if they had an intimate relationship or not.

And Catherine…Catherine was a much better choice than me anyway. I mean, let's face it Sidle- she's got you beat. She's got a great daughter, she actually has a life, she's not the obsessive workaholic I am but she's still dedicated to her job, she didn't get a DUI, she's beautiful, and on top of that she knows how to deal with a relationship. I don't.

That guy in the airplane bathroom was a joke. Hank was a mistake, my relationship with him (if you even want to call it a relationship…) just ended up hurting me more than anything else. He used me. I found that out the hard way.

I understand if Grissom doesn't want to go out with me. I mean come on- I max out on overtime every month so I can avoid coming home every night to an empty apartment and so I could forget everything. Everything that had hurt me and everything that had haunted me every night in my dreams- all of it was gone. I was focused on my work.

At the same time…I don't understand why Grissom doesn't want to go out with me. I was the one who made the first move. I was available and we really have so much in common. But he has hurt me enough…maybe I should just give up.

I stopped. What had happened? I couldn't move anymore…I couldn't breathe. What was going on? My chest was burning. My side felt like it was being ripped apart slowly. I was in a tremendous amount of pain. My good leg gave in and I collapsed.

"Sara?"

This had to be a joke. Yeah right, Grissom, actually here. This must be a joke.

"Sara, sweetheart, come on, talk to me."

But that is his voice, not psycho-man's…

"Sara, honey, please. Wake up."

God please don't let this be a dream. I slowly slid my eyes open.

"Gris..Grissom?" I managed to say. I could barely speak, and when I did, my voice was hoarse.

"Oh god, Sara!" he said searching me for new injuries. He saw the various scrapes on my arms and legs, but he was searching for new injuries.

"My…one of my ribs is broken…" I said before coughing violently. My shirt was damp. Damp in blood. My eyes widened as I looked down at my shirt and felt blood dripping from my mouth.

"Oh, god Sara…hang on, stay with me," he said rubbing my forehead. His skin was so smooth, yet firm and strong at the same time…it felt so good.

"Grissom…" I whispered.

"Honey please, don't try and talk right now."

"No…Grissom…I…would you like to have dinner with me?"

I coughed again and spat out blood next to me as he stared at me with worried eyes. Those big beautiful blue eyes were tear-stained. I swore they were.

He just nodded his head.

"But right now, I need you to stop talking, okay? I'm going to get you out of here even if it kills me."

I felt a tear run down my cheek. Did he really just say that? Did my ears deceive me? I just nodded. He picked me up.

"ARGH!" I cried out in pain as he lifted me from the ground.

"Sara? Sara! God, I'm sorry."

"It's…okay, it's okay," I said with a weak smile. "I'm okay."

"You got all the way out here with a yardstick?" he asked me looking down at the pathetic excuse for an arithmetic tool. I nodded. "That's the Sara I know and love. Always stubborn- never gives up."

My heart stopped. Did he just say love? No, I had a pretty nasty bump on my head, this couldn't be right…

"Grissom…did you just—"

"Shh…later, when you're better. Then we'll talk," he said pressing a finger against my lips to silence me. He walked along with me in his arms and I smiled as I slowly drifted off to sleep.

Love- that was a great feeling.


	8. Chapter 8

I slowly slid my eyes open to find Grissom's coat around my shoulders and he was fixing some food.

"Grissom?" I asked as I sat up clenching my side.

"Hey," he smiled. "How're you feeling?"

"Like crap," I laughed and then coughed up more blood.

"Oh, Sara…you're in worse shape than I thought," he said walking over to me.

"No, I'm okay…the scene's probably ruined now…that storm was really bad, must've washed away any evidence that was there," I said getting to my good leg and then falling over into his arms.

"Sara…" he sighed pulling me closer to him. "Don't think about work right now, honey. I think you may have some internal bleeding," he told me as he ran his hand through my hair.

I felt arm and relaxed as he held me in his arms and I forgot what we had been talking about for a minute.

"Oh…but—"

"Shh…" he said and silenced me again. I was expecting his finger against my lips but instead pressed his against mine and kissed me quickly before rubbing my cheek.

"Grissom…"

"Did that take your mind off of work for a minute?"

I laughed a little before coughing again. He looked at me with worried eyes.

"Sara…"

"I'm okay…at least I'm not with psycho-man anymore…"

"What?" I had forgotten that I never mentioned psycho-man to Grissom.

"Oh…I fell unconscious during the storm and woke up in this guy's arms…I found at that he murdered his family and hid their bodies in freezers at his house…and he's the guy we're looking for in our 419."

He raised a brow. "God…are you okay?" he asked looking me over. I smiled.

"Yes, I'm okay. He just talked about what he would do to me, he didn't actually do anything," I told him. He looked at my throat and at the marks that resembled fingers.

"Sara…" he said rubbing my neck.

"I'm okay, it's not that bad," I told him grabbing his hand. He sighed.

"I'm going to get that bastard. Not only for murdering his family or that innocent man but for laying his filthy hands on you," he said, his blue eyes now filled with anger and determination.

I laughed, but not enough to where I would cough up a lung again. "I didn't ever think you'd say something like that to me."

"Really?" he asked, a bit surprised.

"Yeah, I mean you ignored me a lot after that Debbie Marlin case and I always thought you and Teri Miller had a thing…and then I thought you liked Sofia on the day shift…"

He was silent, he just left me continue.

"And…you refused my dinner invitations…"

"None of them are like Sara Sidle."

"Why would you pick me anyways? All I have is my work, I don't open up to anyone, I have no social life, I—"

I stopped when he pressed his lips against mine again and pulled me closer.

"None of that matters," he whispered in my ear. I smiled as I settled myself in a comfortable position and held up a piece of food to my mouth.

"Is that fish?" I asked inspecting it and taking a whiff.

"Yes…sorry I couldn't find anything else, sweetie," he said smiling.

I smiled. "Well…I am hungry," I said sighing. "Okay, I'll eat."

He ripped a piece of it off and fed it to me like a baby.

Afterwards, he picked me up in his arms and sat down under a tree, wrapping his arms around me and leaning his head against mine.

"This would be so much nicer if we were in a house and I didn't have internal bleeding," I whispered before coughing again.

"I know," he said. "But you'll be okay, I promise," he told me and moved his mouth closer to my ear. "And then we'll go have a nice dinner. I'm buying," he said a kissed me tenderly on the cheek.

I smiled and cuddled in his arms and we both fell into a light sleep.

Crunch.

What was that?

Crunch.

It's coming closer…

Crunch.

Grissom? Is that you?

Crunch.

No…his arms are still wrapped around me…

Crunch.

Then who is that?

Silence.

"Hello?" I said looking out in front of me.

Silence.

"Hel—"

I felt hands around my neck. I recognized those hands- the skin was dry and cold…it was psycho-man. I tried to scream, but he was strangling me.

Grissom! Grissom, wake up!

He wasn't budging- he must've been really tired.

"Gah- I- Help-I-GAH!"

I coughed as he continued strangling me. I squeezed Grissom's hand and budged him. His eyes popped open.

WHAM!

I had never seen Grissom so angry. He slugged that guy across the face and he backed up, still registering what had just happened. Grissom slowly set me down on the ground and tackled the man when he tried to run.

"Grissom…" I said looking at him in shock.

The man scratched at Grissom and pulled his hair. Grissom punched him upside the head and he stopped moving. He was just unconscious.

"Are you okay, Sara?" he asked looking at me with concern.

"I'm okay, my throat just kind of hurts…" I said rubbing my neck. He picked me up in his arms and we walked off.

"Was that the guy you were talking about before?" he asked me as he walked with me securely in his arms. I nodded.

"Let's get the hell out of here and then go to dinner," he whispered planting a kiss on the back of my neck.

I smiled. "What about psycho-man?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"We'll take care of him soon…he'll be out for a while and I see lights a little ways up," he told me.

I nodded and savored the moments that I was in his arms. The warmth that was radiating between us felt wonderful.

"Are you going to put me down so I can go to the hospital?" I whispered. It was the only thing I could do without my throat burning.

"I would rather not…" he said with a smile and planted another kiss on my lips.

I smiled. "Down boy, we'll be back home soon," I whispered as we came across police cars and ambulances parked around with officers and EMTs standing around.

"Take care of her, she's in bad shape," Grissom said walking over to the ambulance and set me on a stretcher in the ambulance.

"Grissom…your face," I said rubbing a bleeding scratch on his face.

"I'm fine," he said rubbing my cheek.

I motioned to him to come closer and I kissed his cheek where the scratch was. His cheeks turned a deep rosy shade of red. I laughed before coughing again and they closed the doors to the ambulance and drove off.

Two Months Later

A knock came at my apartment door and I put the magazine I was going through down on my couch cushion. My rib had healed and the internal bleeding was taken care of. My leg had also healed all the way and so I could walk without crutches.

I looked through the peephole and smiled. I opened the door.

"Hey." Grissom was standing outside my door.

"Dinner?" he asked smiling.

"Oh yes, of course! I'm sorry, I forgot!" I said putting a hand to my head and sighed.

"It's okay," he told me. "You can still make up for it," he said with a grin.

I smiled. "I'm not dressed up."

"That's okay, you still look great. You could come in a tank top and sweatpants for all I care," he smiled as he pulled me into a kiss. I ran my hand through his hair and pulled away from the kiss.

"Let's wait until _after_ dinner," I smiled as I closed my apartment door and walked off with him planting kisses on my neck.

The End

Thanks everyone for reviewing! This is the end of this story, but I am going to make more soon! Please let me know what you thought- love it, hate it? Let me know!


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